Compact luxury cars are the next big thing in the Indian market. Incidentally, all luxury car makers are racing down the pyramid to find a wider base of customers. They are racing down with more affordable models. With Mercedes launching the A Class, and BMW coming out with the 1 Series, the Audi has now come out with an A3 saloon.

Is this car going to tempt buyers with its badge or are they going to find it a bit too compact? Let’s find out.

The A3 may not have the design fare of its immediate rival – the Mercedes CLA – and what you get is Audi’s typically understated styling with clean torque lines that give the car a solid and planted look. It’s got a lot of road presence and in fact it does not look much smaller than its sibling, the Audi A4.

The large single frame Audi grille has been designed to give a 3D effect and it looks particularly prominent. The rear end too looks great with futuristic looking tail lights. The Audi signature LED day time running head lights are there as an option.

The A3 may be compact car, but it has a certain quality experience that makes it feel like the A4. The quality of materials inside the cabin is top class, though it is a bit Spartan when compared to the other Audi’s. Though the texture of the buttons and plastic are good, the top of the dash is made of a different material. Leather seats are standard on all versions which will lift the ambience of the car.

Numerous features include the LED interior lighting package, panoramic glass sunroof, keyless access, and electronic climate control.

The rear seats, when compared to the other Audi cars, are a bit on the tighter side.  Even head room is slightly short. The rear seats have dedicated air-con vents at the back. The boot offers a capacity of 365 L which can be increased by folding the rear seats back.

The automatic S tronic-transmission which comes standard on the higher versions is likely to be the popular variant too.

The Audi has launched the A3 with a wide range of engines. There are two petrol engines, a base 1.4 TFSI and a top of the line 1.8 TFSI, and two diesel engines, a 1.6 TDI engine and the top of the line diesel 2.0 TDI. In India, the A3 will be available with one TDI and one TFSI engine. The 1.8 TFSI produces 180 bhp and delivers 250 Nm of torque between 1,250 and 5,000 rpm, while the 2.0 TDI generates 143 bhp and 320 Nm of torque.